Update: Here's a wire report that sums up the decision: Canadian airlines lose disability appeal. The way it's presented here, disability actually was the impetus for the suit, not obesity, so this will be new territory for the Canadian airlines (and, presumably, American and other foreign carriers operating point-to-point within the country). Keep on rockin', Supreme Court of Canada!
This item on CNN just caught my eye. It's about a court decision in Canada regarding commercial airlines' policy towards obese passengers, but it mentions a corollary that made me do a double-take:
The Supreme Court of Canada is upholding a regulatory ruling that people who are "functionally disabled by obesity" have the right to occupy two airline seats on a flight for the price of one.
The ruling late last week said that airlines in Canada can no longer charge an obese passenger extra for an additional seat. The same goes for a disabled person who needs space for a wheelchair or who must be accompanied by an attendant.
Yowza! [click to continue]
This is what happens when I'm running on 36 hours of nonstop pain, two sleepless nights, a ton of drugs that won't work, and end-of-the-semester stress:
A bacon cheeseburger with mayo and grilled mushrooms. And for dessert? Squares of a milk chocolate bar smeared with creamy Skippy peanut butter.
A fabulous new grassroots campaign for marriage equality awareness is in town: White Knot .org
The white knot is the new symbol for marriage equality. It takes two traditional symbols of marriage—white and tying the knot—and combines them in a simple way to show support for the right of gays and lesbians to marry. All loving couples deserve the same legal rights, benefits, and respect that civil marriage bestows.
Visibility is our goal. Whether you are gay or straight, please show your support by wearing the knot and telling people why you are wearing it. It may seem like a small thing, but imagine the white knot gaining the pervasiveness and instant recognition of the AIDS Ribbon.
Wear your white knot to work, to school, to your place of worship. Celebrities will be wearing white knots down red carpets this awards season. Together, we will keep the topic at the top of people's minds and keep the conversation going.
They have instructions for making your own knot (which … really? ok.), download-and-print fliers, website/email badges, and an email list, plus they allude to plans for a White Knot Day of ribbon solidarity.
I mock, but only a little. I actually think this is a great take on the whole ribbon thing. (Although I wonder if raising visibility through the red carpet is such a hot idea, given that "Hollywood elite liberals" are not exactly influential amongst the kind of people who are against marriage equality to begin with.)
Anyway, every little bit helps. So go pin a white knot to your shirt, and more importantly, tell people what it means and why it's so important.
This morning you get to peek into my "Morning Thoughts" notebook. I've gotten into the habit of starting my day by jotting down all the thoughts swimming around in my head—things to do, dreams from the night before, ideas, wonderings, general observations … whatever's up there, really. It's a nice way to get my mind warmed up, plus it will make an amusing journal for my grandkids.
Here are 13 randomly selected entries from this morning's page:
- Don't forget to call Dr. P. for Rx and Dr. S. re: insurance
- I thought it was supposed to be warmer today. WTF?
- Dad's never going to catch up on this season of House.
- I really should spend a little time on FaceBook reconnecting. Maybe a video to all my friends? That would be easy enough.
- OMG! The semester is almost over. How on earth am I going to finish this all?
- Find that site selling the Lamy 2k's for $89.
- Is Minty going to be in town next week? Send an email.
- "Unconventional Enterprises" has a nice ring
- Wish I had some cash to splurge on the J. Crew sale … cashmere tees are way cheap (relatively)
- I wonder if taking a grant-writing class would help me, career-wise?
- Man, those temporalis muscles are freaking out today!
- I wonder if there's a Tampa Bay chapter of Toastmasters?
- I wish I could just take the day off and curl up with my Kindle and some baked potato soup.
As you can see, I'm shaking things up around here by switching to the amazingly cool theme-and-a-half Thesis. All of my content remains available, but it will be some time before all the sidebar stuff is back, etc. Hope you like it!
My name is Becky Blitch, and this is my blog. Like my life, it's organic, juicy, unpredictable, messy, romantic, fierce, and beautiful.
